An encounter broke out this evening between security forces and militants in central Kashmir s Budgam district.

Barely 24 hours after terrorists killed seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, the security forces gunned down at least three terrorists of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam in an encounter that began on Tuesday evening. Arms and ammunitions, including a SLR and an AK-47 rifle were receovered from the slain militants.

An encounter broke out after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Radpug area of Budgam this evening. The operation was launched after forces received specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the area, said a police official who refused to be identified.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter as the security forces were fired upon by the militants.

Nearly 200 jawans of Jammu and Kashmir Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) and 2 Rashtriya Rifles are involed in the encounter with militants.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when their bus came under heavy gunfire from terrorists in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night. The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.